‘The Legendary Doctor’ warms Pinoy’s hearts
by Pilar Mateo - February 20, 2017 Two years ago, the PKEI (Philippine Korean Entertainment, Inc.) through its general manager James Chon, has partnered with PTV-4 to show as the very first weeknight Koreanovela “Princess Aurora,” “Jang Bo-ri is Here!,” a funny Koreanovela “Here Comes Mr. Oh!,” “Crazy Love,” “Make a Wish,” “My Daughter, Geum Sa-wol,” the heartwarming Korean drama “The Promise” and “Another Miss Oh.” The group is back with another box-office Koreanovela “The Legendary Doctor” to share with Pinoy fans who have been avid followers of such programs aired here. The show has been viewed in Korea with a great number of followers. This great historical drama is all about the stormy life of Hur Jun, a legendary doctor of the Chosun Dynasty. Huh Joon was an illegitimate child of the governor of Pyong Ahn Do (a region in Northern Korea) and spent his days acting as the leader of a smuggling ring. “The Legendary Doctor” started to air last Saturday and Sunday (February 18 and 19) in 9:15 p.m. slot. Directed by Byeong-chun Lee and written by Wan-kyu Lee, the 64 episodes will run for a long while. The cast include Jun Kwang Ryul as Heo Joon, Hwang Soo Jung as Lady Ye Jin, Lee Soon Jae as Doctor Yoo Ui Tae, Kim Byung Se as Yoo Do Ji (Ui Tae’s assistant), Jung Wook as Kim Min Se, Jung Hye Sun as Ms. Son (Heo Joon’s mother), Hong Choong Min as Lee Da Hee (Heo Joon’s wife), Joo Hyun as Heo Ryun (Heo Joon’s father), Jo Kyung Hwan as Yang Ye Soo, Park Chan Hwan as King Seonjo, Jang Seo Hee as Kim In-bin, Park Joo Mi as Kim Gong-bin, Kim Seung Soo as Prince Gwanghae, Im Hyun Sik as Im Oh Geun (Ui Tae’s secretary), and Park Jung Soo as Ms. Oh (Ui Tae’s wife). On the other end, “Rosy Lovers” already air from Monday to Friday (premiere last Februay 13, Monday) also in 8:30 p.m. slot. From PTV-4’s end, newly appointed general manager Dino Apolonio is very positive that a lot of people will watch and support the Koreanovelas on primetime. Believing that change is coming with the new regime, he also hopes to see more changes as far as presenting newscasts, news gathering, reporting and stuff will be done. He also added, “Unti-unti lang din ang paggalaw namin sa pagkuha o pagbuo ng shows. So, simula muna kami sa canned shows like this one. We had to focus din muna kasi sa mga gamit. At state-of-the-art din naman at maipagmamalaki ang aming mga binili. “Then, of course, part nun is we’re going to start looking for ‘yung talagang mga bankable anchor. Ang problema, of course, ‘yung mga bankable anchor, mataas na ‘yan, eh, ‘yung mga bayad diyan, eh. Kaya nga may nabalita noon na kukunin namin pero hindi naman namin kaya ‘yun. Pinag-aaralan pa rin namin if we can afford to get bankable people for the shows kung sisimulan na.” According to the two GMs Chon and Apolonio, they are thinking of inviting stars from Korea in their future events to meet their Pinoy fans. And they promise to bring more exciting and interesting shows, concerts in the coming months!